The
Chinook is a tandem-rotored, twin engined medium-lift helicopter and
first entered service with the RAF in 1982.
It has a crew of four (pilot, navigator and 2 x crewmen) and is capable
of carrying 54 fully equipped troops or a variety of heavy loads up
to approximately 10 tons.

The
triple hook system allows greater flexibility in load carrying and
enables some loads to be carried faster and with greater stability.

In the ferry configuration with internally mounted fuel tanks, the
Chinook's range is over 1,600 km (1,000 miles). In the medical evacuation
role the aircraft can carry 24 stretchers.

RAF Chinook aircraft were
upgraded to the HC2 standard between 1993-1996 for some £145 million. The HC2
upgrade modified the RAF Chinooks to the US CH 47D standard. New
equipment included infra red jammers, missile approach warning
indicators, chaff and flare dispensers, a long-range fuel system, and
machine gun mountings. In 1995, the UK MoD purchased a further 14 x
Chinooks (6 x HC2 and 8 x HC2a – now Mk3) for £240 million. During 2003 the Chinook
Night Enhancement Package (NEP) was installed in the HC2 fleet. The
NEP was based upon experience gained during operations in Afghanistan
in 2001 and allows Chinook aircraft to operate at night and in very
low-light conditions, often at the limit of their capabilities.

This is a rugged and
reliable aircraft. During the Falklands War reports suggest that,
at one stage, 80 fully equipped troops were carried in one lift and,
during a Gulf War mission, a single Chinook carried 110 Iraqi POWs.
The Chinook mid-life update will significantly enhance the RAF's ability
to support the land forces during the next 25 years.

Analysts suggest that since 1 April 1990, the RAF Chinook fleet has
flown some 60,000 hours during which time the operating costs (personnel,
fuel and maintenance) have been £310 million, a figure that results in a
cost of about £5,200 per flying hour.

A £62 million contract with Boeing to convert eight Chinook Mk3
helicopters to a support helicopter role was announced by the Ministry
of Defence in December 2007. The first helicopters were operational in
Afghanistan in 2010.

The RAF currently has a fleet of 46 Chinook delivered between 1981 and
2001 of which we believe 30 are available to the Forward Fleet at any
one time. There appear to be plans to procure another 14 Mk 6 aircraft
to bring the Chinook inventory up to a total of 60. The purchase cost
for 14 x Mk 6 aircraft is £841 million and the first of these aircraft
will enter service in May 2014. All 14 aircraft should be fully
operational by early 2017.

The most recent upgrade and currently underway is Project Julius. This
enhancement introduces an integrated digital ‘glass’ cockpit, moving map
tablet and new crewman’s workstation across the whole of the fleet of
Chinook helicopters. Pilots will now be able to determine what flight
and tactical information is displayed to them at any given time,
improving the ergonomics of the cockpit. Under Project Julius HC2/HC2A's
are being upgraded to the HC4/HC4A standard, and the HC3's to the HC5
standard. Following the upgrade these aircraft will be better positioned
for the switch between Special Forces and Support Helicopter tasks.

CHINOOK HC2 HELICOPTER Specifications

Crew

3 - 4

Fuselage
Length

15.54m

Width

3.78m

Height

5.68m

Internal Payload

8,164kg

Rotor Diameter

18.29m

Cruising Speed

270kph/158mph

Empty
Weight

10,814kg

Service Ceiling

4,270m

Mission Radius
(with internal and external load of 20,000kgs including fuel and
crew)